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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fork — in a road
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — magic
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — army training
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com